Well it’s been announced, a baby was born. My fiancé’s daughter had herself a little girl last Wednesday. That was one hell of a day for me. Her water broke only min after she left work. She called and we left work about 15 min early and rushed home to get her and prepare for labor. I wondered if it would be a long labor but once there at around 6:20 she began pushing and the baby arrived into this work at 7:10 weight 6 pounds 8 ounces. We didn’t get to see her until after 10. I could not get over how beautiful she was. I’d never held a newborn. What an honor. My little granddaughter. I was in love at first sight.

While out and about working I walked out of a building with a great vantage point of a building demolition. It was the perfect timing and so unexpected. I was in awe. Was that supposed to happen? I didn’t know. I don’t think it was the collapse which they originally intended on. I didn’t hear sirens so that gave me comfort. I quickly made my way to the wreckage and was comforted to see that people were out of harms way and spectating. It was planned. What a sight to see.

Wednesday marked the babies first week of existence. Incredible that a week has already passed us by. She is such an incredible little baby. I fall in love with her more every time I see her. As a gift I got her a little rubber ducky for her baths. It also has the particle use of telling the adults if the water is too hot. Win for all of us and the baby.

Jalapeño

Saturday brunch at home. Sausage egg street tacos with some refried beans.

Sweet 15 dinner.

I made my first French toast. It was yummy.

Dry BBQ rub bone in pork chop w/ broccoli cheese.

Chicken cordon bleu with bacon asparagus and peas, carrots and rice.

Double sloppin smash burger.

Jalapeño cheese sausage with sauerkraut and spicy muster and beans.

Date night out for some food. Yvette needed this. I needed this. Yay. Steak Gorgonzola pasta. It was a nice night out.

Cooking for Yvette and the youngest. Grilled pork ribeye with a soppin’ sauce w/ a veggie ranch pasta salad. Carrots, peas, broccoli & cherry tomatoes. Shredded cheese for good measure. No picture. It was that good.

So much happened this week that I can’t wait to talk about but can’t right now. Hope everyone had a great week.

One thing I can talk about is this: some asshole took a picture of me in a company car cutting through a restaurant parking lot to avoid a light. They sent it to the presidents office and called saying that I didn’t slow down or stop and pulled out in front of them causing them to slam their brakes to avoid hitting me. I did indeed go through the parking lot. Road construction has made it not only a terrible wait but a bumpy ride on my bad back. I did not indeed pull out in front of a car. The report also states that I had 2 vehicles in front of me. I did have a vehicle in front of me. How could I possibly exit a parking lot without slowing down if a vehicle was exiting in front of me. That’s funny. This asshole had to contact the president. I still am not 100% certain the outcome. What I know is the truth is that I wasn’t eating at the restaurant. I wasn’t speeding. I didn’t exit without yielding. I wouldn’t have put myself or others into harms way. I have never been in a wreck. I now feel like I’m in hot water because of some asshole. I feel the entire story is a fabrication from someone else that works on campus and might have seen me leaving the restaurant. It happens. Some people don’t mind their own business. I wasn’t very happy the rest of the day. I shouldn’t have gone through the parking lot. I’ll just start taking the long way to avoid that intersection which might mean adding 5 min to a trip.

Friday I made some more eBay sells. It’s a hobby that’s made me almost a thousand bucks since May. I was happy to have the weekend near. Had my doctors appointment and it went great. He said I’m looking good physically and lab result match. My blood pressure is the best it’s ever been on a visit. That new medication I started in March is working. I was all envious for nothing.

Happy Friday!

Jalapeño

Korean BBQ pork belly w/ kimchi & zucchini.

Steak with rosemary garlic butter, asparagus and some red potatoes.

Bbq beef stuffed potato.

Poblano cream chicken with veggies and cilantro lime rice.

Chorizo cheese omelette with taters.

Chorizo egg street tacos w/ refried beans.

Poblano cream chicken lasagna with some chips and queso at Yvette’s for date night.

Week back from a weeks vacation can be a brutal pain in the ass. Monday was hard. My time was out of wack. I was on Mountain Time. I had also forgotten what my alarm sounded like. I think my mind wanted to forget it. Being a vacation, I munched. I grazed. I was hungry all day Monday. Real bummer. I’m glad I came in because I had a lot I needed to do. Putting it off would have only been worse. Had to power through.

A vacation hangover is the worst. I don’t mean from drinking, just the sleepiness and getting back into the groove. Yvette and I both were feeling it. Each morning I had to drag my ass out of bed. Spending 8 days in a different time zone threw me out of whack more than I thought it would. Call it jet lag or whatever, it’s real. We also slept in everyday.

God I was busy. That what I wasn’t really wanting, but I was.

Friday Yvette and yes youngest came over. We ate and he and I laughed at a movie. The Fall Guy. I needed it. Maybe we both did. It was a long week. Dinner was good. She wanted Bulgogi. Kimchi. It worked.

I guess it was a week. I think I said that.

Jalapeño

Salisbury Steak w/ peas and mashed potato.

Skillet chicken divan.

Chinese jalapeño chicken & rice.

Chipotle chicken and lime with peppers, mushroom and sticky rice.

Beef Bulgogi w/ kimchi.

The first day of vacation. A much needed one after the last 2 years. It’s really been since 2021 that I packed up and left the state of Texas on a real vacation. I’m excited to have Yvette and her youngest son along for the ride. I pretty much had all my goods packed so not it was just getting ready for the road. I hate the anticipation up to the journey. I was ready to get this going.

We aimed for around 10 but but in reality it was more like 12 before we hit the road. On the road to Lubbock, my old college stomping grounds. It’s been nearly 20 years. Sterling City to Big Spring to Lamesa to Tahoka to Lubbock. It’s been well over 18 years since I’ve ventured down this highway of my past. Uglier than I remember it.

When we finally made it to Lubbock we unloaded and went to a place I had not eaten at in 17 or so years. It was right across from Texas Tech University. Chimy’s. This place always had some great cheap margaritas. The nachos were also still great. Place hadn’t change much at all. After that we looked around the campus some and took notes on how much nicer a campus they have than the one that we work at. I also went down memory lane recalling walking to my classes through the campus. Good times.

We made it to Clovis, NM and checked into our hotel. I think we were all tired so we chilled a little and went to eat some comfort food at Chilis. Had a few drinks and decided to turn it in for a night.

I slept very well considering I was in a hotel room. Being right next to the cold AC had to have helped. I woke up for a shower and headed down for some coffee in the lobby area. They actually had a really nice breakfast spread. Sausage biscuits and gravy, sausage links, potato’s, scrambled eggs, egg white veggie omelette. Muffins, bagels, oatmeal, cereal, etc…. I had a little sample. I can’t deny food.

A few hours later we had a real breakfast at an iHop. We needed real fuel for the road. This was when we realized a problem was amongst us. The boys. brought the stomach flue. We made due. Might be the last chain restaurant of the trip. Now ready for the road.

The drive to Taos was beautiful. We took it in. We took a very scenic route. When we finally reached our destination it was time to unwind. Instead of going out we ordered from a very good local pizza place and pigged out.

Monday we all woke at our own leisure. At this point we were not all sick. A problem that we would carry until the end. I was up early and needed to eat to take my meds to I snuck out and grabbed Yvette, her son and I some McDonalds. I had to be sneaky otherwise everyone would have pulled on me for food. I got away with it. Win!!!

That afternoon we went for lunch in the Taos town square and wondered around some shops. We decided afterwards to travel to the Taos Ski Valley where they had a nice tap room and more snacks. We walked around a hiked a little. Really, we just took in the scenery and the beauty of it all. We also celebrated my mother’s birthday. She was 70 on this day. She had some fantastic treats.

That night my cousin, aunt and uncle and all the family celebrated a big old birthday. Nineteen of us celebrated. We grilled burgers and hot dogs. We drank lots of beer and wine. We had a regular party. It was so much fun. It’s times like these I’m so happy to have a close family.

Tuesday. We had a little lunch (excellent) and followed it with a hike to the Rio Grande Gorge. The hike was supposed to be 1/2 a mile and ended with a bench over a nice lookout point. Well we hiked over 3 miles and never saw the bench. I enjoyed the hike, some did not. We could not keep looking so we turned around. Yvette and her son had an appointment for some horseback riding. They had an amazing time and I was kind of jealous.

That evening we went to my cousins little taste room slash lounge for snacks and drinks. It was a really neat location. The drinks were top notch. it was great seeing my cousin in action. She comped all our drinks. I see now that running a distillery and lounge is her thing. My uncle and aunt on my mom’s side were great as always. I can’t believe it’s been so long. How does time fly away like it has. I hate that. Just another reason to enjoy every day. We finished the night with a trip to McDonald. I guess that’s a good way to end it.

Did I mention the illness that ran through us? Save that for last. Montezumas revenge. My brother and the kids brought the pain. It hit 13 of us as far as we know. It hit me and her son in the transition between Taos and Santa Fe. Real bummer. I was also my birthday. What a day to be sick. I tried to tough it all out. I made sure we went to this dinner that was on Dinners Drive-In’s and Dives. The food was fantastic. It dropped out of me as soon as we left. The pain was real but I wasn’t going to let it stop me. That night we all went out for a nice meal and indulged. I had a really good time.

I can’t say the best about Thursday. I still had fun but I was also in a bad way from that virus we all passed around. At least 4 of us that day were hit. Don’t travel with a virus. Just don’t. It killed half the trip for some of us. Just so you know.

We went to a Meow Wolf. It was rather fantastic. Once we got back to the house Yvette and I ran around the town and did some shopping. We had a little date night and some great food. I couldn’t eat what I would have wanted because of the pain but I made a point to have fun. I wish I had been feeling 100%.

On our final day Yvette, son and I decided to just chill around the house and relax. He has tired and we were not 100%. Don’t worry, I’ll give my brother hell for this until he dies. Real bummer. Ooh well. It was really nice not having any distractions and just take in the house. Sometimes you just want to stay put on an otherwise busy vacation. Moment of peace. The rest of the bunch went to town to walk around. It was hot. Hard pass. Plus it was just nice to hear myself think without the kids running around. Went to town and grabbed some donuts and bagels. I found a Papa Murphy’s and had to get a pizza just the way my mother and I did every Sunday night for Game of Thrones night. We ate this pizza for years until they closed maybe 10 years ago. No way I could pass it up. I was happy with my decision. Watched a few movies. Yvette and I played a little corn hole. I found something out about her. She is good at corn hole. She is also competitive. Haha. She kicked my ass. It was fun. I liked having a relaxing day.

That evening we all got together for on last trip to the town and a final dinner before we all parted ways the following morning.what a nice night out. I sort of enjoyed my food. Damn VIRUS!!!! Oh well. Note to all parties, stay away when sick.

How quickly a week went. It was fun. Had its unfortunate bumps, us all getting sick, but overall it was fun. Sadly that was the first family experience. Yvette and I survived. Her son barely did. Our first long trip together…. My family didn’t crush her hopes. I guess this was a win. Difficult with that bug.

Sadly, all vacations have to end. We loaded up, cleaned and hit the road. The full haul. No stop. My back be damned, our guts be damned. I wanted my own bed. I think we all were ready to get home rather than stay at a hotel and spend money to just get half way. We went to Roswell and saw the Aliens. It was great. A long drive but worth it. Sad vacation was over. It’s fucking hot back home. At least I got to see one of my dogs. My sweet daughter watched one, the other is on vacation at the Dog Club.tired on the couch. Good night.

Tuesday was my Monday, and you know what, it wasn’t bad at all. I kept fairly busy with Seth still on vacation. Guy took himself a 6 day weekend. Just before 3 they sent anemail saying that due to possible bad weather we were to all leave at 4. It never happened, but it was nice. I went home and trimmed some branches and messed with my fence. I also played some Zelda. Haha.

For whatever reason my back was acting up on jump day. It was hurting like a real SOB. This gave me pause. Days before an 8 hour road trip and my back acts up. I tried to be optimistic saying it will pass. I just slept wrong. It’s on days like that I get the sad reminder that I’m not out of the woods just yet.

Friday Friday Friday!!! It was a long week coming off a four day weekend and heading into a week vacation. The night before I began my packing. This will be my first out of state trip since 2021 and I was both excited and anxious. I sure hope Yvette can handle me for a week. It was fun looking at eateries. We have narrowed some good places down. I’m really excited.

Jalapeño

Spicy shrimp cocktail.

Braised pork & verde sauce w/ rice.

Leftover pork street tacos with cilantro lime rice.

Chicken Pad Thai.

Woke up Saturday and found out I sold another item on eBay. Have I even mentioned in this blog that I’ve been doing that for maybe a little over a month? It’s profited over $500 on stuff I didn’t even know I had, old video games. It’s been a rather fun lucrative hobby the past few weeks. I mean, it’s money and the only thing that’s work for me is going to the post office. Can’t say that’s bad. It’s easy money.

I thought that we were all going to a high school graduation party but due to unforeseen BS that put Yvette and the crew behind we didn’t end up going. I decided to move the final couch that needed moving in my house. It turned out to be a superior bitch. I assumed because it was the smallest it would be the easiest. I assumed wrong. I finally got it movie. The first piece of my relocated office behind me. After that joy I decided to do the rest later.

I went to my mom’s and had a little snack and a beer. The weather was once again weird. It looked like it did the two days we had hail and we were under a tornado watch. No sir, I didn’t like it. The apprehension. The uncertainty. I like a good storm. I hate a hail storm.

That night I made a meal and watched my show. It was a nice lazy evening. I went to bed at a fairly early hour only to be startled out of sleep by Yvette. She rushed over to put a car in my garage before a storm hit. It sure did hit, but this time all we got was a heavy rain. Thank god no hail. Monday I’ll be calling a roofer Yvette’s dad hooked me up with to see how mine has faired with this last round.

Sunday was her mom’s 69th birthday so we went over to the grandparents to have a feast with the whole family. It was a special. It’s fun seeing so many generations of a family together like that. We had dressing, green beans, potato’s, corn, chicken drumsticks, turkey dressing. I’m guessing Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday food? I’ll have to inquire. Anywho, this was my first time to go to lunch at her grandparents with most the family. She gave me a breakdown of them all before getting there. Most of them I have met at one point or another over the last year and a half. It was a good time. I had fun.

That evening I just camped out at home again. Nothing to do. I watched my show and decided to cook for us so we had breakfast. I experimented while I had the over going and made some pretty fun mozzarella pepperoni rolls. I thought Yvette was asleep but she was at a party at her brothers eating shrimp. I guess she found out last min. Oh well. At least I watched my show. Everyone that likes a little weird with a little western should watch Outer Range. I wonder how long I’ll have to wait for season 3….

Memorial Day. The final day of my pre-vacation vacation. I work up and placed the beef ribs in the oven. They slow cook for 8 hours. I finished all my laundry. I restocked my bathroom travel bag. Went for a little walk on campus before it was to bloody hot. Called the roofer to look at my roof for damage. I had a little breakfast. Made some coffee and played a little Zelda. It was a nice morning.

That afternoon Yvette, my mom and I went for a late late lunch closer to 2. It was nice. Once again relaxing. After lunch her and I went swimsuit shopping. I had not bought a new one in about 20 years. It was time. We were going to the hot spring as part of our vacation agenda. After I found my suit we looked at more baby clothes. it’s something I had no idea was fun or that I had been missing out. Of course we bought some.

After our errands I went home to finish preparing for our feast. The ribs were almost ready so I seasoned the chicken thigh, made the deviled eggs and slaw, and basically got things rolling. The roofer showed right before I was going to put the chicken down, which slowed things a little. Oh well. Yes, my roof is sort of fucked. I’ll need a new one. Bummer.

The dinner itself was good. The two youngest came first with Yvette and ate. They left and later the oldest and his girlfriend ate. I had them all tonight and it was great. I had a very happy Memorial Day weekend. I sure hope all of you did. Cheers!!!

Jalapeño

Brunch. Sausage egg burger with maple syrup & tots.

Udon noodle stir-fry with a sriracha soy glazed steak.

Texas whiskey glazed pork belly and Mac & Cheese. Simple and effective in serving my dinner needs.

Brunch pt 2. Breakfast sausage croissants made by me, scrambled eggs and blueberries.

Memorial Day Feast!! I made beef ribs, chicken thigh, sausage, slaw and beans. Yvette brought some potato salad.

The kids are gone and the campus is a ghost town. It’s a nice break from the chaos that are finals. I’m honestly happy with a little less activity for a little while. It’s been a busy few weeks.

Monday Staff Senate was something. I guess we are now having snacks and drinks. Okay. The usual BS about parents and their kids came up from the same person. It’s a broken record. I can tell everyone is getting sick of it. How many times and from how many different people can a person be told “not happening” before it gets through their thick fucking skulls. It’s borderline psychosis. it went on for well over 20 min. Sad.

We found out rather late in the game that we had a 4 day weekend ahead of us. Yay!!! I don’t think anyone can complain. We didn’t have any bad weather days so I guess it’s fair.

The fucking humidity on Wednesday. It was so fence that I could swear I felt resistance walking through it. The air was terrible. I left for lunch and the sky felt ripe for development. Boy was I correct. Shortly after we were placed on a tornado watch. That turned to a warning. Next we know northwest of town a tornado had touched ground. Hail was also coming. The radar was deceptive. The flags were blowing in a different direction. It sure did start raining big drops. My coworker and friend Ryan decided to bail 8 til while my coworkers wanted to wait and see if it slowed down. As we walked to the car the hail came and it only got bigger. I made it all until I started to close my umbrella and get in the car. That’s when a hail stone hit my head. It HURT!! I drove home in a cacophony of sounds. I was sure my car was hurting. I made it home about the time Yvette says her son is on his way to my garage. We sheltered the storm together.

I was having him over anyway. This seems to always happen on our family dinner nights. Last time we also had hail. How strange. Anyhow, we hung out and about 2 hours later his mother and sister came to join us for dinner. I cooked one of our first meals together as a 4 person ensemble. It was good times. He and I watched a comedy to digest the food.

Thursday/Friday. We had Friday off so this was my Friday. The day was fast and busy. I was full of energy. We started with a possible storm. We had some light rain. It mainly passed. That’s was our rain for the day, according to the National Weather Service. Laughable. Right before 5 it looked weird. I walked out of Yvette’s office and when I went in it was sunny.I knew something was off from my years with my father. He knew his weather. I looked at the radar. Nothing, but there was clearly something. I’m back near the office and I call Yvette. She mentions big drops. Nothing where I am until there is. Hail, not big drops. I race back on the cart only taking a few hits. Next thing we know it’s hailing wild. A break pops up. . My boss said go home and we went. It was a war zone getting home. The hail size increased. Yvette and her daughter pulled into my garage. We waited it out in awe. . Nasty storm. Our roofs and our cars will need insurance. Deductible. All over town. Lots had it much worse. Sucks. Wasn’t even forecast to rain again and we received worse than the day before.

Since we had Friday off I tried to take advantage of everyone else still working and kids in school. I took Hazel to the vet to get all her shots and have her ready for her stay at the country club for dogs. She hates the vet. I next played a little Zelda before heading out for a quick and easy trip to Sam’s. It’s so nice being able to go in a laid back setting that you will only get during the week while everyone else is working. On my way back I decided to see a movie. Heck, I was the only one in the theater when I first walked in. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. I had been hearing great things about the film. It was a wild colorful dark trip through a wasteland hell. Hemsworth was fantastic as the villain. Almost 3 hours later I was happy.

Jalapeño.

Green Chili Bunless Burger.

King Pao Chicken Noodles.

Chicken enchilada “casserole” with cilantro lime rice and black beans. Way back in September I made this for us and the family. Figured we should try it again. Her sone and I watched Tropic Thunder after dinner.

Yvette and I went out for date night. The Wharf. It was fantastic. We had a little cocktail at the bar while we waited. The old man sitting alone would not move a chair down so we could sit next to each other so I squeezed a chair in between. He then bitched at the bartender that he didn’t get his drink before us. We sat down at about the same time. Some people. Fuck them.

Steak, asparagus mushroom truffle pasta with Yvette and the kids. We dig in before I could take a picture.

Mother’s Day weekend was a blast. Saturday we all went out to eat with Yvette and two of her kids. Always a pleasure. After lunch we went on a crazy yard kick at my house. I needed help on a ladder. later, Chris and I had a drink and picked up some carry out for my mother and us and we drank wine and laughed. We laugh. That Sunday morning it was Mother’s Day brunch and it was a mad house. Of course it was. We knew it would be. I think over all we did good, aside from some technical difficulties.

The baby shower was finally upon us. Friday after work we all got together to setup everything so it was behind up on Saturday. It turned out to be a lot of fun. That night Yvette and her daughter brought over fruits for me to cut and pretzels to dip in hot chocolate. Some extra snacks for the party. It was also very fun.

Saturday was the main event. We still had things that needed to be done, of course. Finished setting up and came back all dressed pretty. She scored a large amount to goodies and had a fantastic spread of sweets and savory. I think we were all pretty satisfied. It was my first baby shower and I was actually really social. I walked around and talked. Helped where I could. The games were fun. It was just another new experience with Yvette and her family.

That’s evening I made queso and we all made burrito bowels outs of the leftovers. It was a long two days and we were all tired but it wasn’t u til after 11 that I left her house. It would be an understatement to say I didn’t crash hard.

Sunday we had a ritual lunch with my mom. We went to Zero One. These lunches are always after 1. Gives us time to do whatever needs to be done on the more ing half of the day. That might be the yard, sleeping or running around round while it’s less hectic. it’s always fun.

Afterwards I went strait to meal prepping. I prepped both breakfast and lunch for a few days. I was tired but she was ever more so. This would save her the trouble. I also decided I’d get together more stuff for us to have dinner, which I did. I made queso smothered steak burritos. Her son did the same. Another fun evening.

All in all a great two weekends. Hope

Jalapeño

Mother’s Day dinner pt.2. Pizza and chicken Parmesan.

Mother’s Day brunch. egg sausage briskets with tots.

Chipotle chicken with veggies and cauliflower rice.

Orange chicken, carrots and rice.

Parmesan & Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Penne w/ green beans and pearl onion.

Salmon croquettes with spinach and broccoli rice mushrooms and cheese.

Brisket, steak, chick tacos with rice.

What a glorious Saturday. Slept in. Had breakfast in bed. Watched some Planet Earth. It was gloomy. Great day to just do things around the house. Inside. It was still very wet outside.

I woke up to a hilarious Facebook message on my phone. Bekah’s old boy friend was asking me for money. The hilarity of having the man my ex-wife was cheating on me with asking me for money was laughable. I didn’t even know how to reply. Yvette said I should just tell him to ask Bekah. Tell him she took it all. Late the day he asked me for food. I really have no beef with him, she was the cheater. Kind of sad, really.

The entire day was pretty mellow. Mostly overcast and still sort of wet. I played Zelda and watched some movies.

Sunday the kids, Yvette my mother and I all went out to eat. We went for Mexican food. We all forgot it was Cinco de Mayo. The place was busy. It also seemed to be the place for parties. My lord it was people in and out. Good time nevertheless. I like these lunches with us all together.

Good lord I hated this week. I was stuck in the office, abnormally tired, and my back and nerves decided they wanted to flare up and cause me chronic pain all over again. I do mean pain. From my back to my toes and back again. It’s been a long time since it’s been this bad. I’m sure people have wondered why I have been distanced and quiet. It’s called chronic pain. It’s weeks like this I think surgery at a you get age might be the right option.

It was finals week. The semester was ending. Crazy how quick the school year went. Yvette’s daughter will have been in a full semester. It feels like she just started. I’m so proud of her and all she accomplished. It’s exciting.

As the weekend wobbled on the activities kept dwindling. Students are so online based these days most finals don’t require a classroom. Blows my mind. I had professors that were mad at you if you had a computer in class. Taking a remote final would have stroked them out. Times have changed.

I probably say this every year but I sure like the joy on campus around now. Kids leaving for summer and graduating. A collective sight of relief and happiness. These days make campus family worth it. We all succeeded in getting another class out the door and into the real world. I always wonder if they later reflect upon those that made it happen.

I also find a sadness when they leave. The campus becomes a ghost town and another years is behind us. I’ve done this 13 years, which is crazy. I suppose it always makes me reflect on the passing of time. I didn’t plan on being here even half that time yet here I am. I can’t complain. I’ve met some truly wonderful people. Friend have come and gone. People have died. Best part ever, I met my beautiful stunning fiancé. She is the light of my life and I couldn’t be who I am without her. If I’d left I might not have been so lucky. I probably wouldn’t know the lovely Yvette. Someone I always felt comfortable with, love the family, and is extremely attractive with the bonus of being my best friend. I consider myself a lucky guy. Thank you, work. You made this happen.

This is my time of reflection.

Jalapeño

Gringo tamales. That’s what Yvette and her daughter call these. It’s Hormel chili and canned tamales. I have to say it actually was pretty damn good. I just sprinkled cheese and baked them. Who would have known.

Stuffed peppers in a Mole sauce.

Leftover peppers with some corn. I like my leftover. Form believer that some things taste better the following day.

Pork tenderloin w/ chipotle lime sauce. Side green beans and baby potatoes.

Pot roast & mashed potatoes at Yvette’s. Fun times. Her daughter hates the crock pot. It’s hilarious.

Just a burger night.

Mother’s Day dinner part 1. Marry Me Chicken Meatballs with some bacon green beans and cauliflower mash.

The weekend was busy. I went with Yvette and her daughter to look at something and after that we all went to a 1 year olds birthday for 3 hours. It was a lot of fun. The food was bloody amazing. Straight up hibachi grilled chicken, veggies and fried rice made outside on location. Homemade egg rolls to boot. I avoided the fried rice. So sad. I also avoided all the sweets. So sad.

After the party I went home and began to replace a. Token window. It’s been two years that I’ve needed to do that. Years ago I had a sleep walking incident and I locked myself out of the house. I managed to get into the garage but the door to the kitchen was oddly locked. It’s a small windowpane. I smashed it out half awake. It’s taken me this long to fix it. Mainly I didn’t care, I had a divorce to worry about finalizing. I also didn’t want to be charged what I knew would be over $100. Well I decided I would just fix it myself. Buy the glass and cut it and fix it. Well, I fixed it. It was a rather fun home project. I’ve been motivated more to do things now that so much of my pain has parted me. I think I did a fine job.

Sunday was a shopping day. Yvette and I went to Sam’s and HEB. I meal prepped both breakfast and lunch for us. It’s the way to go. Plus it’s fun and a lot cheaper. We had some wings and onions rings for lunch at BWWs and that evening her son was going to have a shrimp broil. Exciting. What a great meal. I was excited. Sadly, a busy fun weekend never last long enough. Like a blink of an eye they say goodbye.

I woke up Monday with no “want to”. I could have slept and slept. Monday was actually busy. I guess that was a good thing. It sped up the process of getting through the damn day.

Friday finally came around. It was busy. During on busy moment I cut myself. On rusty metal. I bleed. Not knowing when I last had a tetanus shot I decided better safe than sorry. Lucky for me, during my hospital stay in 2022 I already had one.

That evening I made it home, started the potatoes, set the table and hurried to the store. I was afraid the storm you kill my dinner night. I had 3 people come. Yvette and the kids. I called after the store trip because the sky was wild. They came over. We did get hail (small) and lots of wind and rain. Dinner was great. Son and I finished our show and were sad we had a year to wait. WTH would we watch in the mean time.

The storm was great. Happy Friday!!!

Jalapeño

Crockpot spicy chicken thigh, red and yellow bell pepper, onion and green enchilada sauce over stick rice.

Sesame chicken.

Spices chicken thigh leftover tacos. Yummy.

Caribbean pork with black bean rice and broccoli.

Sweet & Sour Pork. Battered. I don’t batter food but this was my first s&s pork. It was amazing. Christ. Worth the extra work.

BBQ pork, corn on the cob & fried okra.

Yvette and I made BBQ pulled pork potatoes for the kids and us.